Lego Star Wars II's gameplay is from a third-person perspective, and takes place in a 3D game world that contains objects, environments, and characters designed to resemble Lego pieces. Its gameplay – a combination of the action-adventure, platform,[1] and sometimes puzzle[2] genres – shares elements with that of Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (2005).[1] While Lego Star Wars followed the events of the Prequel Trilogy: The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and Revenge of the Sith (2005), Lego Star Wars II is based on the Original Trilogy: A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983). The game comically retells the trilogy's events using cutscenes without dialogue.[3][4][5][6] The player assumes the roles of the films' characters, each of whom possesses specific weapons and abilities.[7] At any time, a second player can join the game, by activating a second controller.[3] During gameplay, players can collect Lego studs – small, disk-shaped objects, which serve as the game's currency. The player has a health meter, which is displayed on the game's heads-up display. The player's health is represented by four hearts; when these hearts are depleted, the player dies, and a small amount of their studs bounce away. However, they instantly respawn and can often re-collect the lost studs.[3]
The game's central location is the Mos Eisley cantina, a spaceport bar on the planet Tatooine.[3] At the counter, the player may use their Lego studs to purchase characters, vehicles, gameplay hints and extras, or activate cheat codes.[8][9] In a small area outside the cantina, players may view collected vehicles.[10] The game is broken into levels, which are accessed from the cantina;[7] each film is represented by six levels,[11] representing key locations and scenes in that film. The locations include Hoth, Bespin, Dagobah, Tatooine, the Death Star, and Endor.[7] The game also features bonus levels.[11] During play, the player defeats enemies, builds objects out of Lego bricks,[7] and drives vehicles.[12] Certain levels are played entirely while piloting vehicles, including a TIE fighter, a Snowspeeder, and the Millennium Falcon. Levels must first be played in Story Mode. This unlocks the next level as well as a Free Play mode for the recently completed level. Gameplay is identical in the two modes. However, Story Mode restricts playable characters to those followed in the film scenes the levels are based on, while Free Play-offers all those unlocked.[7] Levels can be replayed in either mode to collect studs and secret items.[13]